Former governor-general Peter Hollingworth sorry over his response to sex abuse

Former governor-general Peter Hollingworth has apologised to a sex abuse survivor and conceded he manifestly failed in his response to an abuse claim while he was Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane in the 1990s.

Giving evidence to the royal commission into institutional sex abuse, Dr Hollingworth said his failures included giving incorrect evidence to a 2002 inquiry into abuse in the Brisbane diocese, while he was governor-general.

Former governor-general and former archbishop, Anglican diocese of Brisbane Dr Peter Hollingworth in the stand.

Photo: Supplied

In 1993, Dr Hollingworth allowed paedophile priest John Elliot to continue to work as rector of Dalby, on Queensland's Darling Downs, after hearing allegations the priest abused at least one boy between 1975 and 1981.

The commission heard Elliot had admitted to the abuse and that psychiatrist John Slaughter, who assessed Elliot, had advised Dr Hollingworth that paedophilia was not treatable.

Elliot served as rector of the Dalby parish until 1998 on the condition he was not involved with the Church of England Boys' Society, did not meet with boys unless another adult was present and retired at 65. He was then 60.

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He was later convicted of abusing seven boys and served a prison term.

Reading from a prepared apology and talking directly to the abuse survivor, known at the commission as BYB, in the courtroom, Dr Hollingworth acknowledged he failed the survivor and his family and had not understood the long-term repercussions of abuse.

"I acknowledge unreservedly that my actions were misguided, wrong and a serious error of judgment, and I genuinely regret it," he said.

"I failed to make your needs my absolute first priority. Instead, I was overly concerned for the needs of Elliot and his family and those of the parish."

Under questioning, Dr Hollingworth said he had attempted to ensure Elliot would not abuse again.

"I had been managing the risks as best I could. There appeared to me no more risks. He was of an age where this was less likely to happen, in any case," he said.

"He was in considerable financial need, and on the balance of things I thought there was no problem about it."

BYB was abused between the ages of eight and 13, when Elliot was a lay preacher at Brisbane's St Barnabas church at Sunnybank and involved with the Church of England Boys' Society. The pair had contact on an almost weekly basis during those years.

BYB said he and his parents had several discussions with Dr Hollingworth urging that Elliot be stood down after he revealed the abuse in 1993.

"I never received an appropriate response to my request that Elliot be disallowed from having any contact with children," he said.

"I was only ever told by Dr Hollingworth that the matters were best handled internally, that there was a process to be followed and there was no need to involve any other parties."

In a letter to Elliot at the time advising him of the conditions under which he could stay, Dr Hollingworth indicated he was going against the advice of the church's psychiatrist.

"The action differs from the advice given to me by Dr Slaughter who is of the view that your problem is something which keeps recurring and is likely to happen again," he wrote.

Dr Hollingworth told the commission he wrote this to tell Elliot that he knew there was a risk involved, and he was trusting him. "It was saying... if things go wrong that's going to be bad for you, for me and for the diocese," he said.

He maintained Elliot performed well as a priest after the warning.

"I saw every sign that in priestly ministry he was a good priest, and he was behaving in a way that was entirely appropriate and a spiritual leader, he said.

Dr Hollingworth was head of the Brisbane diocese from 1990 to 2001, when he was appointed governor-general. He was forced to stand down in 2003 amid criticism over the church's handling of abuse allegations when he was in charge.

Giving evidence in Hobart, Dr Hollingworth agreed that he gave incorrect evidence to a 2002 church board of inquiry investigation into abuse in the Brisbane diocese about a meeting with BYB nine years earlier.

He told the 2002 inquiry he arrived at the scheduled meeting unprepared and not having been briefed after returning from interstate early that morning.

In evidence given at the time via his solicitors, he said he did not know who the young man waiting in his office was and he could not recall BYB identifying himself or naming Elliot as his abuser during the meeting.

BYB said he told Dr Hollingworth at the meeting that Elliot was a paedophile, that the abuse was not isolated and he should not have contact with the public.

On Wednesday, Dr Hollingworth told the commission he now retracted his 2002 evidence that BYB had not identified himself or named Elliot.

He said he had left the Brisbane diocese by the time of the inquiry, did not have access to his notes and did not feel it was appropriate to ask for them.

He agreed the evidence he gave the Brisbane inquiry was incorrect. "I regret many things, and certainly that," he said.

Dr Hollingworth criticised the Brisbane inquiry, which found against him, for treating witnesses differently. He said he gave his evidence through correspondence via lawyers, and could have clarified some issues if he had been called to answer questions.

Issues of contention included his use of the word "isolated" to describe Elliot's abuse. The inquiry interpreted it as saying abuse of BYB occurred only once. Dr Hollingworth said he meant he was aware of only one abuse victim.

He had not known how frequently BYB had been abused, and did not ask. He said he now regretted describing the abuse as isolated.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is sitting in Hobart for eight days, examining how the dioceses of Tasmania, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney responded to reports of sexual assault.

At question are allegations against Elliot, Robert Brandenburg, Louis Daniels, Simon Jacobs and Garth Hawkins (now known as Robin Goodfellow).

All served jail time for their crimes except Brandenburg, who died in 1999 before facing court in South Australia over 375 assault charges.

Former Archbishop Ian George, head of the Adelaide diocese from 1991 to 2004, also issued an apology at the commission on Wednesday.

"I'm deeply sorry the church did not protect children and indeed provided an avenue and an opportunity for someone like Brandenburg to abuse so many," he said.